The Everything Low Salt Cookbook Book: 300 Flavorful Recipes to Help Reduce Your Sodium Intake

The

EVERYTHING®

The Low-Salt Cookbook

Dear Reader:

Salt is an essential part of our diets. It’s too much salt that can be a problem—especially for salt-sensitive individuals. Thus, my goal in this book is to help you find ways to get your salt consumption under control.

Few recipes in this book suggest adding salt to the recipe. I find it best to use a little gray sea salt to season dishes to my taste once I’ve cooked them. I’m not a big fan of salty foods, so it seldom takes more than a pinch of that gray sea salt to season a dish to my liking. Granted, there are exceptions. But even with those exceptions, I think you’ll be amazed at how little salt is needed to enhance the flavor of good food.

By employing some food fixin’ tricks that you’ll discover throughout the book, it’s easy to fix flavorful food. When you employ those tricks, even if you do feel the need to salt your food at the table, it takes very little to bring it to taste.

I sincerely hope you find learning all the wonderful alternative ways that you can season a dish as fun and exciting as I have. Sharing that knowledge with you in this book has been a joy as well. Enjoy and dine in good health!

The EVERYTHING® Series

Editorial

Production

Visit the entire Everything® Series at www.everything.com

THE

EVERYTHING®

LOW-SALT

COOKBOOK

300 flavorful recipes to help reduce

your sodium intake

Pamela Rice Hahn

Copyright ©2004, F+W Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

An Everything® Series Book.

Everything® and everything.com® are registered trademarks of F+W Media, Inc.

Published by Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A.

www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN 10: 1-59337-044-X

ISBN 13: 978-1-59337-044-2

eISBN: 978-1-44052-287-1

Printed in the United States of America.

J   I   H   G   F   E   D

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hahn, Pamela Rice.

The everything low-salt cookbook / Pamela Rice Hahn.

p. cm.

ISBN 1-59337-044-X

1. Salt-free diet--Recipes. I. Title. II. Series: Everything series.

RM237.8.H346 2004

641.5'6323--dc22

                                                                           2003023147

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

—From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the

American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

The Everything® Low-Salt Cookbook is intended as a reference volume only, not as a medical manual. In light of the complex, individual, and specific nature of health problems, this book is not intended to replace professional medical advice. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions in this book are intended to supplement, not replace, the advice of a trained medical professional. Consult your physician before adopting the suggestions in this book, as well as about any condition that may require diagnosis or medical attention. The author and publisher disclaim any liability arising directly or indirectly from the use of this book.

This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.

For information, call 1-800-289-0963.

To all my visitors at CookingWithPam.com

__________________________________

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1 Appetizers and Finger Foods

CHAPTER 2 Soups

CHAPTER 3 Salads and Salad Dressings

CHAPTER 4 Breakfast and Brunch

CHAPTER 5 Chicken Entrées

CHAPTER 6 Seafood Entrées

CHAPTER 7 Other Meat Entrées

CHAPTER 8 Casseroles and One-Dish Meals

CHAPTER 9 Vegetarian Entrées

CHAPTER 10 Vegetables and Side Dishes

CHAPTER 11 Pasta and Pizza

CHAPTER 12 Breads

CHAPTER 13 Snacks and Desserts

CHAPTER 14 Condiments

CHAPTER 15 Lunchbox Favorites

APPENDIX A Spice Blends

APPENDIX B Sources and Suppliers

Acknowledgments

For their help and support, I would like to thank everyone at Adams Media. For all of their hard work and perseverance, I would like to thank my agent Sheree Bykofsky and her associates Janet Rosen and Megan Buckley. Special thanks also goes to my daughter Lara Sutton and the other joys in my life: Taylor, Charlie, and Courtney; Andrew, Tony, Dennis, and Ann Rice; my mother and sister Tam; my niece Nicole; my photographer buddy who makes house calls, Bill Grunden; my computer guru Don Lachey; Doris Meinerding, the most helpful and friendliest Realtor in the world; and David Hebert, Eric J. Ehlers, Jodi Cornelius, and my other online friends.

Introduction

1 SALT IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF OUR DIETS. In fact, human blood is 0.9 percent sodium chloride (salt). That salt in the blood helps maintain the electrolyte balance inside and outside of cells. While individual needs can vary, most studies indicate that the human body needs only around 500 milligrams of salt a day to maintain that healthy balance—but that 500 milligrams is a fraction of what many Americans consume in a day. So much salt is present in processed foods that consuming 1,200 to 2,000 milligrams is now often considered a salt-restricted diet. The average American consumes 3,300 milligrams a day. The American Heart Association recommends a maximum of 2,400 milligrams a day.

To give you an idea of how much salt constitutes the recommended target milligrams a day, consider these straight from the salt shaker statistics:

• ¼ teaspoon salt = 500 milligrams sodium

• ½ teaspoon salt = 1,000 milligrams sodium

• ¾ teaspoon salt = 1,500 milligrams sodium

• 1 teaspoon salt = 2,000 milligrams sodium

• 1 teaspoon baking soda = 1,000 milligrams sodium

The Benefits of Less Salt

Most people are aware that too much salt in the diet can cause an increase in blood pressure in salt-sensitive individuals. An elevation in blood pressure increases the risk of stroke. In addition to blood pressure and the risk of cardiac health concerns, too much sodium can cause other problems as well. For example, a study reported in the May 1996 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that excess salt in the diet can increase calcium loss, which in turn exacerbates the risk of osteoporosis. Excess salt in the diet has been shown to increase the risk of stomach cancer, ulcers, and migraines. To complicate matters even more, some salt-sensitive individuals exhibit normal blood pressure levels yet retain salt in the kidneys instead of excreting it in their urine. Thus, salt sensitivity alone (without the telltale warning signs of high blood pressure or fluid retention) can still increase the risk of death.

Chances are that reducing the salt in your diet won’t be the only lifestyle change suggestion your doctor or dietician makes, but, for some, it can be the most intimidating one. Increasing the amount of daily exercise can be as simple as climbing some stairs instead of taking the elevator or parking the car a little further from your destination and walking the additional distance.

Cutting Back

Once you start looking for ways to cut down on the salt in your diet, you realize that salt is seemingly everywhere! Even when it isn’t listed as a named ingredient on a food label, it can be present in many food preservatives. It’s in the baking soda used to leaven baked goods. A fast-food chicken sandwich isn’t normally thought of as a salty food, yet it can contain more than 1,100 milligrams of sodium. A serving of canned soup can contain almost that much! Because of today’s fast-paced lifestyle, you, too, probably rely to a certain extent on fast foods–whether you get them at a drive-up window or in the form of a convenience food at the supermarket.

Therefore, the task of cutting back on salt is already complicated for those who only want to reduce sodium consumption to the 2,400 milligrams a day recommended by the American Heart Association. If you have already developed a health concern that requires that you consume a reduced-salt diet, you’ll need to pay even closer attention to food labels from now on. Regardless of which category you currently fall in, you can probably now better understand why it’s important to control your sodium consumption.

Today’s refined table salt is a single chemical compound, sodium chloride. Not only is table salt stripped of more than sixty trace minerals and essential macronutrients, it’s then bleached and anticaking agents are added so it’s easier to pour or sprinkle. This results in a chemical that’s difficult for the body to absorb and digest, which then causes the health problems mentioned earlier, such as high blood pressure.

For that reason, many people find that their body is better able to handle the salt they ingest if that salt is in a form closest to its natural state as possible. Sodium content will be the same whether you’re using table salt or sea salt, but you may find that because of its purer, less chemical flavor, it takes less sea salt to season food. Kosher salt can also be an alternative but, because of its larger crystals, it doesn’t always absorb as well—and for some people it takes more kosher salt than table or sea salt to achieve the desired effect. For that reason, as far as the recipes in this book are concerned, table salt or sea salt are interchangeable. Unless your dietician provides you with specific instructions to the contrary, it’s your choice as to whether you use table or sea salt.

In addition to cutting down on how much salt you add to your food, making wise choices about which ingredients you use when preparing meals can make a big difference. While there are now other reduced-sodium (and reduced- or no-fat) products on the market, the nutritional analyses for those products vary widely. Reduced-sodium foods often contain more sugar; reduced-fat foods usually contain more sodium than do regular products.

When choosing a shortcut, always try to pick the one that offers the lowest sodium content. To help you recognize what those labels mean when you’re looking for low-sodium products, here are the common explanations for what the phrases on those labels mean:

• Sodium-Free: 5 milligrams or less of sodium per serving

• Very Low Sodium: 35 milligrams or less of sodium per serving

• Low Sodium: 140 milligrams or less of sodium per serving

• Reduced or Less Sodium: A minimum of 25 percent less sodium than the regular version

• Light in Sodium: 50 percent less sodium than the regular version

• Salt-Free: 5 milligrams or less of sodium per serving

• Low Sodium Meal: 140 milligrams or less of sodium per 100 grams

• No Added Salt or Unsalted: a product that no salt was added to during processing; however, this does not mean that the product does not contain sodium, as there can be sodium occurring naturally in the food

Understanding Nutritional Analyses

in This Book

Unless stated otherwise, some foods—like cottage cheese, for example— are factored into the nutritional analysis using a generic average. Other times named products are used and the nutritional analysis was done using that specific product. The sodium content of products is all over the map, so be very careful about making substitutions.

When a choice is given between two ingredients in a recipe in this book, the nutritional analysis was done using the first ingredient. Oftentimes, the ingredient will be one from a recipe in this book. In that instance, the nutritional analysis information for the portion used is what was used to calculate the entire recipe. Therefore, if you plan to substitute a commercial ingredient, consult that ingredient’s recipe for the nutritional analysis so that you can make an accurate comparison, and adjust the recipe accordingly, if necessary. The same thing applies to named ingredients. For example, Hellmann’s or Best Foods mayonnaise is a named brand mentioned in several recipes. That doesn’t mean you can’t substitute another brand; however, you should consult the sodium content for the brand you have on hand or wish to use as the substitute to ensure that it isn’t higher in sodium than the ingredient suggested in a recipe.

When a recipe calls for a food prepared from another recipe in this book, the nutritional analysis includes that food in the counts.

NutriBase IV Clinical program was used to calculate the nutritional analysis for the recipes in this book. Named brand products are used when it’s essential to do so to give an accurate reading of the nutritional analysis for the recipe. As already stated, that doesn’t mean you can’t substitute other similar ingredients. It does, however, mean that you need to be careful about checking the package to make sure you’re not adding something that’s higher in sodium.

Low-Salt Cooking Tips

Keep in mind that you can use a seasoning blend even when a recipe in this book mentions individual seasonings. Simply substitute the blend that has similar seasonings.

Additional essentials for your pantry should include dried lemon granules, 100% lemon juice (not the bottled kind made from concentrate, but like that found in the freezer case from Minute Maid), dried minced onion and garlic, good-quality onion and garlic powders, nonfat dry milk, and no-salt-added instant mashed potatoes. While they’re not mandatory, stocking some freeze-dried ingredients like shallots and minced green onion (scallion) are great to have on hand, too, because of their almost instantaneous ability to reconstitute in a dish.

Likewise, while many cooking experts suggest replacing spices and herbs every six months to a year, that isn’t because spices stored properly in a cool, dry place go stale. Rather, even when they’re stored properly, the intensity of those spices and herbs do diminish over time. That decrease in flavor isn’t the end of the world, however; in most cases, you can simply use more.

Specific information about products used in this book is mentioned in Appendix B, such as which type of large, deep nonstick sauté pan was used to test the recipes. That reference, listed often in the book, refers to a 3½-quart oven-safe skillet, which is large enough for most of the recipes in the book and can also be used on the stovetop and then moved to the oven to finish off a dish, when necessary.

You’ll also notice that the suggestion is made to treat even nonstick cookware with nonstick cooking spray. That’s because over time small scratches can form on the nonstick surface, which can cause food to stick. Another benefit is that when you first use a nonstick spray, it takes far less oil to sauté vegetables.

There’s also another lower-fat frying and lower-sodium benefit possible when you first treat a nonstick pan with nonstick spray or spray oil. For those times when only some fried meat will satisfy your craving, you’ll use far less oil if you rinse the meat in cold water and then dry it between paper towels, rub a little oil over the surface of the meat, and then use a salt-free seasoning blend on both sides of the meat. Bring the nonstick pan to temperature and then fry the meat as usual. Such instructions normally suggest salting the surface of the meat before it’s fried, because the salt helps draw the extra moisture to the surface of the meat so that it evaporates quickly. This causes the meat to sear, which is essential for that caramelized fried taste. But drying the meat between the paper towels eliminates the need to use salt to draw the moisture to the surface because you’ve already removed that moisture with towels!

The most important thing to keep in mind as you experiment with new seasoning sensations while you adapt to your new low-salt eating lifestyle is that you’re making a commitment to better manage your health. Making, and sticking with, that commitment to eat a healthy diet literally can be your life or death decision.

CHAPTER 1

Appetizers and

Finger Foods

Steamer Clams in Ginger Sauce

Onion Dip

Sweet Stuff Guacamole Dip

Garlic Toast

Open-Face Wild Mushroom Wontons

Herbed Provence-Style Flatbread (Fougasse)

Shrimp Toasts

Baked Savory Lemon-Pepper Cheesecake

Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper Hummus

Easy Bread Sticks

Sweet Pea Guacamole

Tomato Butter Toasts

Honey-Spiced Almonds

Honey-Almond Spread

Pissaladiere (Onion Tart)

Carbonara Tart

Greek Onion Tart

Chicken Salad Mold

Italian-Style Baked Stuffed Mushrooms

Greek Yogurt Dip

Steamer Clams in Ginger Sauce

2 teaspoons Bragg Liquid Aminos

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup spring onions, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon white rice wine vinegar

4 teaspoons apple juice

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon Oriental mustard powder

4 cloves garlic, minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried green onion flakes

1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 (15-ounce) Gordon’s Chesapeake Classics Cocktail Clams (Steamer Size), drained

1 large cucumber

1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the steamer clams and cucumber. Add the drained clams and toss to mix.

2. Wash and slice the cucumber. Arrange the cucumber slices on a platter and place a clam atop each slice. Chill until ready to serve.

Serves 28

Per serving:

Onion Dip

2 teaspoons onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried green onion flakes

1/8 teaspoon dried granulated roasted garlic

1/8 teaspoon dried or freeze-dried chopped chives

1/8 teaspoon dried parsley

1/8 teaspoon celery seed

1/8 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 tablespoon Hellmann’s or Best Foods Real Mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce

Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Serves 16

Per serving:

Sweet Stuff Guacamole Dip

1 avocado

1½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon Bragg Liquid Aminos

1/2 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons apple juice

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Serve with unsalted tortilla chips.

Serves 16

Per serving:

Garlic Toast

Spectrum Naturals Extra Virgin Olive Spray Oil

4 (1-ounce) slices French Bread

1 clove garlic, cut in half lengthwise

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Using the spray oil (or an oil mister filled with extra-virgin olive oil), lightly spray both sides of each slice of bread. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Remove from oven. Handle the toasted bread slices carefully so that you don’t burn your fingers, and rub the cut side of the garlic clove across the top of each slice. Serve warm.

Serves 4

Per serving:

Open-Face Wild Mushroom Wontons

1 tablespoon olive or canola oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup sliced shallots

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 pound assorted wild mushrooms (such as chanterelle, wood ear, shiitake, morel), cleaned, stemmed, and thinly sliced

3/4 cup water

3/4 teaspoon Minor’s Low Sodium Chicken Base

1/4 cup instant nonfat dry milk

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 teaspoon herbal seasoning blend of your choice

24 wonton wrappers

Spectrum Naturals Extra Virgin Olive Spray Oil

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. In a large, heavy nonstick skillet, heat the oil and melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the pepper and mushrooms; sauté until the mushrooms become soft and most of the mushroom liquid is evaporated, about 8 minutes.

3. Add the water and heat until it begins to boil. Dissolve the Minor’s base in the water. Reduce heat and add the nonfat dry milk, whisking to combine with the mushroom mixture. Add the ricotta cheese and herbal seasoning, and mix to combine; cook until heated through. Remove from heat.

4. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil. Prepare the wonton wrappers by lightly spraying one side of each with the spray oil. Place sprayed-side down on the foil. Evenly divide the mushroom mixture, placing a spoonful on each wonton wrapper. Top the mushroom mixture with the grated cheese.

5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the wontons are brown and crunchy and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serves 24

Per serving:

Herbed Provence-Style Flatbread

(Fougasse)

Basic White Bread dough

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/4 teaspoon dried French thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried savory

1/4 teaspoon dried fennel seeds

1/4 teaspoon dried lavender

1/8 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Spectrum Naturals Extra Virgin Olive Spray Oil

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Remove the prepared basic bread dough from the refrigerator and punch it down. Lightly coat your hands with olive oil. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces, shaping each piece into a ball. Set aside to rest for a few minutes.

3. Mix together the rosemary, thyme, tarragon, basil, savory, fennel seeds, lavender, marjoram, and pepper. Use a mortar and pestle or spice grinder to process into a coarse meal. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

4. Using your hands, flatten each ball of dough. (Flatten into irregular shapes to give character to the bread.) Spray a baking sheet with the olive oil spray and place the dough on the sheet. With a pastry scraper, lame (a tool used to slit the tops of bread loaves), or X-acto knife (kept specifically for that purpose), cut 3 or 4 lengthwise slashes into the bread. Gently pull apart at the slashes. Cover with a clean towel, and let rest for 10 minutes.

5. Brush lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle with the herb-Parmesan cheese topping. Bake until golden and crusty, about 15 to 18 minutes.

9781593370442_0018_001 When Using a Bread Stone . . .

If baking Fougasse on a bread stone, skip using the olive oil